Goodnight, Moon
by Chelsea Oz
Summary: A new part of Sam and Diane's family saga. It focuses on Elizabeth as a young girl because I felt she needed more part of the story other than being the baby. Yes, Maria has her share of honorable mentions and would it be a Chelsea story without the moon?


Ernie and Elizabeth had just celebrated their thirteenth and fifth birthdays, respectively. Sam and Diane couldn't believe how much their children had grown. Spencer was a freshman in high school, Ernie was in 8th grade; the last year of junior high, and baby Elizabeth had just started kindergarten. Their parents marveled at how different their genders of children actually were. Their boys had grown into rather rowdy, extroverted men, including Ernie who had grown out of most of his childhood sensitvity. Elizabeth, on the other hand, was sensitive enough for all three of the children. She was a very bright little girl but was also very shy and quiet. She would much rather read a book under the weeping willow in the yard than chase her brother's around in the backyard.

"Why don't you play catch with me and the boys and give your brain a rest, sweetheart?" Sam would try to coax.

"No, that's okay, daddy," she would reply with that tiny little voice of hers.

"Just thought I'd ask, Red."

Sam's nickname for her was "Red". It wasn't a reference to Coach, but because she had candy apple red, curly hair and emerald green eyes. She was unusual-looking considering nobody on both sides of her family had red hair or green eyes. Didn't matter to them anyway because she was gorgeous. Everywhere they brought Elizabeth, people would stop and stare adoringly at her.

"Can we make some beautiful children or what?" Sam remarked to Diane once.

"I can only say yes," a beaming Diane replied.

Diane would always remember that remark with a smile. She would always be so proud of her family. They had been through so much together and she believed that it only made their little unit stronger. The memory of their deceased daughter, Maria, didn't make Diane want to cry anymore. It had been replaced with a feeling of gratitude that she had been able to be her mother, even though it was only for a short while. Not that it was any easier, it would never be easy but Diane had found a way to have the memory of Maria not to be a sorrowful one. She could now celebrate her life, not her death.

It was about ten o'clock on the last night of September that Diane was going to finally call it a night. She shut off the living room light and turned the tv off. She was walking past Elizabeth's bedroom as she made her way up the stairs.

"Mommy," Elizabeth all of a sudden piped up.

"Elizabeth," Diane said walking into the room and turning on the light. "Are you okay, baby? Did you have a bad dream?"

"No, mommy," Elizabeth said, now sitting up in her bed and smiling. "I had a great dream! Want to hear it?"

"Sure," Diane said as she walked over to Elizabeth and had a seat on her bed. "What was your great dream all about?"

"Maria came to visit me!"

"She did?" Diane asked, kind of surprised. Of course Elizabeth knew of her sister. Sam, Diane and her brothers had been very open about discussing her and there were pictures of her all over the house. Diane was just shocked because this was the first time she heard Elizabeth talk about dreaming of her sister.

"Was this the first time?" Diane asks before Elizabeth could finish.

"Yes, she said she has been waiting to come see me."

"Did she tell you why?"

"Yes, because I'm five years old now and she was five years old when she went to heaven."

Diane had gulped a little. She had honestly never made the connection until Elizabeth had pointed it out to her.

"I didn't like her at first," Elizabeth stated.

"Why not?" Diane asked, taken aback.

"I fell asleep and then she was tickling my feet. I hate my feet tickled!"

Diane just laughed and gave her daughter a hug.

"I want to tell Daddy!" Elizabeth said into her mother's nightgown.

"I think he would love to hear that. Want to call him at work?"

Elizabeth had nodded her head yes with gutso. Her excitement was so contagious it was making Diane bubbly, too. Diane took her daughter by the hand and into her bedroom as they dialed Cheers' number. Elizabeth happily relayed the message to her father as her mother looked on.

"Well, that's wonderful, sweetheart. It's about time you two met," Diane heard Sam say.

"I know!"

"Hey, can I talk to mommy, now? It's past bedtime and you need to get some sleep, Red."

"Okay, I love you, daddy."

"I love you, too, Red. Give the phone to mommy now."

"Okay," Elizabeth said, handing the phone to Diane. "Daddy wants to talk to you."

"Okay, go to sleep now, baby," Diane said, taking the phone and kissing her daughter's cheek.

"Okay, I love you, mommy," Elizabeth said, with a kiss for her mother.

"I love you, too."

"Is she off to bed?" Sam asked.

"Yes, she just went back to her room."

"She's such a good girl."

"I know. Can you believe the dream she had?"

"I can believe anything anymore, sweetheart. Yeah, it's pretty wild, though."

"It's so sweet that Maria's come through for her sister."

"I wouldn't have doubted it. Even though she threw a fit when Elizabeth was born."

"Who could forget that academy award winning tantrum?" Diane asked, laughing.

"Oh my God, she wasn't the only girl anymore!"

"I know," Diane said while trying to regain some composure. "Well, I better go to bed. Maybe Maria will come visit me, too."

"I hope so. I miss her."

"I miss her, too."

"Well," Sam sighed. "I better be going, too. Goodnight, sweetheart."

"Goodnight," Diane said as she put the phone back on the hook. She stared out her window and looked at the harvest moon. Ever since that night after Maria's services, that moon always brought back a feeling of hope and peace. She then quoted one of her children's favorite bedtime books.

"Goodnight, moon."


End file.
